If you have close to half a million followers on your Instagram account, you’ve got to be doing something right, right? That’s what I always thought when it came to Amelia Liana’s alluring feed (@amelialiana). A simple scroll-through gives you glimpses of her frequent travels, peaks into her enviable wardrobe and a teeny tiny piece of her socialite, London life.
But somewhere between her earlier Instagrams and her current collection, something’s gone awry.
Editing, Enhancing or Just Plain Tomfoolery?
Now, no one in their right mind scrolls through Instagram without realizing one undeniable fact: it’s all been edited.
Some of my favorite images have probably gone through more filters than the fanciest water sold in Whole Foods.
And why not use this technological support? Especially if you’re competing with millions of other users. Amelia Liana is doing just that and she admits as much in her article entitled, “My Image Principles”.
Her first principle? “I aim to produce unique and visually inspiring images.” In Principle 4, she writes, “…I’m always striving to find new techniques to make my imagery progressive and aesthetically pleasing representations of an authentic scene.”
In short, Amelia Liana (or her photographer) has become an expert in the world of creative license. The original picture? That’s only the starting point.
For all the rest, the world is your oyster. But her followers aren’t having it.
When Amelia Went Too Far
Most of Amelia’s followers could accept the fact that she played with colors and lighting. But then, she started adding stars across a Parisian night sky. Then, there were flocks of birds perfectly situated in a Tuscan sky.
The same birds that flew to Taj Mahal, apparently.
Oh, then there were also zero tourists at wildly famous locations. She’s even been accused of photoshopping herself into images where she never was actually present.
That explains her second principle, “All my imagery is actually shot at the time in the location I specify.”
By all means, take advantage of technology.
But your followers? Please don’t take advantage of them.
Well, She Did Warn Us
Back in January, 2017, Amelia Liana posts a YouTube video, entitled, “What You Don’t See On social media”. In honest and personal footage, Amelia stated that when it comes to Instagram, “what you’re seeing is so edited.” She also confided that what you see on her social media platforms is the best of the best.
And any devoted follower should appreciate the time and effort that goes into each and every post. But since when did the best of the best come to include images that are no longer even real representations?
Is This Argument All Wrong?
Sure, we can all clamor for integrity and honesty, but at the end of the day, we’re fighting for integrity on Instagram. Is there such a thing? Instagram has long been the home of perfect portrayals of non-reality. Why does it matter so much now?
